Hua Yi continued his school days at Tachikawa Academy, while Raiden Mei remained a student at Chiba Academy. Kiana, for her part, refused to be a "salted fish." Whenever Hua Yi was away from the dormitory, she would train alone in the Gun Kata her father had taught her. On the surface, it seemed as if nothing had changed.
In reality, the Honkai eruption on the outskirts of Nagazora had brought about shifts that were far from simple. The major corporations aware of the Honkai's existence, though unable to say for certain when the next disaster would strike, had already begun relocating vital projects as a precaution. Nagazora's airport saw significantly higher foot traffic than usual.
Workers could be seen across the city installing strange equipment. Official personnel explained that these devices were air purifiers part of a heavily funded new project to improve the urban environment. While the citizens were pleased, only a few insiders knew the truth: these were high-tech sensors provided by St. Freya Academy to detect Honkai Energy concentrations and slow their rise.
It was peculiar; the manufacturing cost of such equipment was astronomical, and St. Freya Academy's output was usually limited. Given that Nagazora had only suffered a small-scale eruption, it didn't normally justify deploying such gear. St. Freya Academy seemed to be acting with extreme sensitivity.
Regardless, Nagazora's management viewed it as a blessing. The officials, who had been uneasy since the disaster in the suburbs, now felt a surge of confidence. In gratitude, they returned a substantial sum of funding to St. Freya Academy.
Though labeled as a "friendly provision," ignoring the need for repayment would have been the height of folly. In this Honkai-infested world, especially within the Far East, St. Freya Academy was the undisputed master behind the scenes. Without their protection, who else could stand against the Honkai?
Meanwhile, inside the weapons research lab of the Nagazora ME Corp branch, Bronya was communicating with Cocolia.
"The data indicates that this facility was not vacant before," Bronya reported. "A weapon should have been stored here."
"It doesn't matter," Cocolia replied, showing no mercy as she belittled the company under her command. "ME Corp couldn't possibly manufacture a Divine Key on its own. Bronya, did you succeed in contacting Raiden Mei at Chiba Academy as I instructed?"
"Yes. Sister Mei is a very gentle person. Is she truly a potential Herrscher?"
Cocolia raised an eyebrow at Bronya's words. If not for the video feed showing her adoptive daughter's familiar, expressionless face, she might have suspected Bronya had been replaced. Bronya was not the type to voice a favorable opinion of someone so easily. It seemed Raiden Mei's personality was indeed impressive.
"Indeed," Cocolia continued. "You may not know this yet, but a minor Honkai eruption occurred on the outskirts of Nagazora yesterday evening. I suspect Raiden Mei was the cause."
"Bronya has already queried the records. The Honkai was observed yesterday at 16:20. Only an hour prior, Bronya was speaking with Sister Mei at Chiba Academy. Therefore, her suspicion can be ruled out."
Cocolia found herself torn between feeling relieved that Bronya was showing more emotion than usual and feeling a headache coming on because Bronya had formed a friendly bond with her target.
"Regardless, stay vigilant. I have a premonition that Nagazora will suffer continuous eruptions until the true Third Honkai Impact arrives."
"I will protect the people of Nagazora," Bronya promised.
Cocolia let out a faint, nearly imperceptible sigh. The child had grown too kind. Before meeting her, Bronya had been a heartless assassin. Was life at the orphanage simply too warm? Or had that girl who vanished into the Sea of Quanta and the failed experiment that followed changed Bronya this much?
"Very well, Bronya. Just remember: if the eruption stays below a power level of 100 HW, you can use Project Bunny 19C to absorb the Honkai Energy and slowly lower the concentration. But if it exceeds that range, do not attempt to handle it alone. Once Raiden Mei becomes a Herrscher and we reclaim her, we will be one step closer to eradicating the Honkai."
Bronya remained silent, offering only a nod to acknowledge she had heard the words. She vaguely guessed what Mother Cocolia intended to do. The word "reclaim" was acceptable when applied to Bronya herself someone with prosthetic legs, severely damaged human emotions, and a bio-chip implanted in her brain but its use regarding Raiden Mei was worth questioning.
Bronya felt a surge of resistance. Ever since that girl vanished into the Sea of Quanta and Bronya failed to bring her back, she had begun to doubt Cocolia's plans. Was it truly right to sacrifice the few to save the many?
Thinking of that experiment and that girl, Bronya felt a dull ache in her chest. It hurts. My emotions were supposed to be missing since that accident, so why does it still hurt this much...
Aside from the fight, Bronya had nothing left.
"Bronya? Bronya! Are you alright?"
Seeing the girl in the video fall into a long silence, Cocolia asked with concern. Bronya quickly snapped back to attention.
"If a Honkai eruption occurs in Nagazora, Bronya will do everything in her power. Mother Cocolia can rest easy."
Immediately after, Bronya terminated the communication. Cocolia stared at the dark electronic screen, lost in thought for a long moment before sighing helplessly.
"I didn't ask you to do everything in your power, Bronya... You only need to keep yourself safe. Leave the rest to me."
Cocolia had originally intended to use the bio-chip to force Bronya to bring Raiden Mei back when the time came, but after seeing Bronya's recent demeanor, she suddenly hesitated.
She planned to slightly alter the plan.
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